The present invention relates generally to farm implements and, more particularly, to an apparatus for mounting a liquid fertilizer tank to the tongue or hitch frame of a fertilizer applicator.
Pre-plant fertilizer implements, such as the Case New Holland Nutri-Placer 940, are designed to apply fertilizer and specifically anhydrous ammonia during seed bed preparation. The fertilizer implement generally consists of a tool bar or main frame that can be hitched to a tractor other towing vehicle. Working tools, or combinations of working tools, such as shanks, coulters, knives, banders, and the like, can be mounted to the main frame and are designed to manage crop residue, improve soil tilth, and band plant food in the root zone. As the working tools are pulled through the soil, fertilizer, such as anhydrous ammonia, is routed from a tank hitched to the trailing end of the implement to fertilizer outlets integrally formed or mounted adjacent the working tools.
Farming practices continue to demand larger (“wider”) implements to reduce the time needed to cultivate or prepare or plant a seedbed. This is also true of fertilizer applicators or implements. For instance, it is not uncommon for a fertilizer implement to have more than twenty working tools. The aforementioned Nutri-Placer 940, for example, can be fitted to have more than fifty shanks on fifteen inch centers across its sixty-five foot frame. A fertilizer hose is typically routed to each working tool and to ensure fertilizer consistency (“even application”) across the width of the implement, each hose is preferably the same length. This can result in several hundred feet of hose being routed from the fertilizer tank, which is typically towed behind the implement, to the working tools. Needless to say, this can create a relatively congested fertilizer applicator. Adding to the congestion is that a fertilizer applicator will typically include manifolds and other items required to move fertilizer from a rearward towed fertilizer tank.
Many farmers prefer to mix the fertilizer stabilizer with the fertilizer, e.g., anhydrous ammonia, before the fertilizer is applied to the seedbed. Stabilizers, such as N-Serve from ConAgra, improve fertilizer attachment to the soil and thus fertilizer retention. Better retention reduces fertilizer consumption and costs without sacrificing plant performance. A common approach is to mix the stabilizer with the fertilizer in the fertilizer tank; however, many stabilizers are highly corrosive and can damage the fertilizer tank over time. Another approach is to mount a liquid stabilizer tank to the implement frame itself; however, the congestion of the hoses, manifolds, valves, pumps, and the like can make that difficult. As many applicators are of the fold-up or front-folding type, the number of available frame-mounted positions is limited. It is also imperative that the stabilizer tank not interfere with operation of the tractor, such as during headland turns.